New book for young writers

UP and coming writers from regional Victoria have put their pens to paper for a new tome.

The Vox Bendigo Young Writers Anthology, in its fifth year, showcases poetry, fiction and non-fiction works from students in grade 3 to 11 for the Bendigo Writers Festival.

Cecile Shanahan is the editor of this year’s The Vox Bendigo Book said there were an impressive number of entries.

“This year we’ve got 19 schools featured,” she said. “Entries have come from Mildura to Moama, Bort to Bendigo, so a wide cross-section of schools involved.”

This year’s theme was ‘animal’ and saw a broad range of interpretations with students exploring ideas on human impacts of natural habitats, submissions about favourite pets, and even a story from the perspective of a koala during the Black Summer of 2019-20.

The young writers were recognised in a special ceremony at the Capital Theatre last week and presented with a copy of the book by Graeme Clarke, president of Bendigo Rotary which has supported the book over its five-year history.

Some students had the opportunity to read their pieces on stage in front of their families and teachers, and Ms Shanahan said the ceremony is always a special occasion.

“It’s really great because most of them bring some family members and teachers along as well, so you get that real sense of community and community pride in what’s been achieved,” she said.

“It’s a big deal to be published as a child, we have had children who’ve been in the book more than one year in a row so that’s been lovely for them as well.”